Sheridan Hoops MVP Rankings After Week 22

RANK	PLAYER	RUNDOWN	LAST
1		LeBRON JAMES, F, MIAMI: His woe-is-me act in Chicago after the streak-ender might not come back to haunt him, but it will hurt him (physically). If there is a tiny weakness in the King’s game, it is his 75 percent foul shooting. He has to be fouled hard to prevent him from demonstrating why he is the game’s best finisher. He is about to learn how Dwight Howard feels after each game. Methinks Stu Jackson is going to have a busy postseason.	1
2		TONY PARKER, G, SAN ANTONIO: As we go to press on Easter Sunday, we await tonight’s epic Spurs-Heat matchup in San Antonio – and we are not expecting Gregg Popovich to rest anyone other than Aron Baynes. The Spurs are three up in the L column on the Thunder, and a W on Sunday would move them within one in the L column of Miami for best record. Vegas lists Miami as a 1 1/2 point dog. When is the next time we’ll see that?	5
3		KEVIN DURANT, F, OKLAHOMA CITY: He gets a bump more due to Dwyane Wade’s recent offensive slump than his own prowess, which has produced recent been back-to-back 30-point games. He looks to have his fourth straight scoring crown wrapped up. But unless the Thunder finish with a flurry, I can’t put him in my top 2. Their last quality win happened nearly a month ago.	4
4		TIM DUNCAN, F-C, SAN ANTONIO: Not to belabor the same point we have made all season, but what the hell has this guy done to become an 81 percent free-throw shooter? His 10-of-10 night vs. Clippers punctuated a behemothian 34-point, 11-rebound effort that was among his best. Maybe he is spending quality time with his “lead sled” (make it rhyme aloud.) And that ’50 Merc is not the only cool classic car in his garage.	6
5		DWYANE WADE, G, MIAMI: Hasn’t scored 20 points since March 17. Has 15 turnovers and 21 buckets in his last three games. If he makes a 3 vs. Spurs on Sunday, it will be his second this month, surpassing February’s total. Are we nitpicking? Yup. But if a guy drops in these rankings, there has to be an explanation. Look, it’s a crowded house in spots 2 through 5, and you can bet your bottom dollar he will be left out on many ballots, one of the pitfalls of willingly playing second fiddle to The King.	3
6		CARMELO ANTHONY, F, NEW YORK: Back with a bullet after a prolonged absence, but that’s what happens when your team rattles off a season-best seven in a row entering Sunday’s tilt vs. Boston without Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire. The Knicks are going to win the Atlantic and just might end up with 2- seed in East, but they need a win vs. Indiana on season’s final Sunday to even series and shift tiebreaker to better conference record.	–
7		CHRIS PAUL, G, LA CLIPPERS: Slippage, shrinkage, call it what you want. The darlings of December are wheezing their way to the tape, and Paul has had two 7-turnover games in his last 7 outings. How many of those did he have before that? None. In fact, he had 27 TOs this month after totaling 40 in January and February combined. This next fact has nothing to do with Paul, but did you know that the NBA will not have a 20-10 player (points/boards) for the first time ever?	5
8		STEPHEN CURRY, G, GOLDEN STATE: Dropped 39 on Blazers in March finale after putting up an NBA-season high 54 in New York in his final game of February. Keep that in mind when he is in the playoffs late in April. He has seven 30-point games and 236 3-pointers. “We are witnessing one of the greatest shooters that’s ever played this game,” ‘Dubs coach Mark Jackson said. “He’s on the floor like he’s the baddest dude in the building.”	8
9		KOBE BRYANT, G, LA LAKERS: Moved past Wilt Chamberlain into fourth place on the career scoring list, and will catch Michael Jordan next season. But in the immediate future, he still needs to lead his team on some kind of an extended streak to lock up a playoff berth. He hasn’t missed the postseason since 2004-05, when Rudy Tomjanovich and Frank Hamblen were his coaches. You want to bet against him? Not me.	7
10		JAMES HARDEN, G, HOUSTON: For the 10th and final spot on this week’s table, it came down to a choice between this guy and Paul George. And not to discount Indiana’s superior season in the absence of Danny Granger, but what Harden has done for the Rockets is more impressive because they were expected to be a lottery team, whereas the Pacers were a safe preseason pick to win their division.	9